76 Trombones
by Liselle129
Summary: A set of oneshots based on the lyrics from Meredith Willson's The Music Man. Chapter 15: Lida Rose again. Aang returns to the South Pole and Katara, following the events of Chapters 10 and 13.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar or the musical The Music Man by Meredith Willson.

Author's Note: I saw that RHrWilLizKataangPrincess2010 had done something like this with songs from Oliver, except that she actually had the characters singing, so I thought I would work with the lyrics from The Music Man.

**Good Night, My Someone**

_Good night, my someone,  
Good night, my love.  
Sleep tight, my someone,  
Sleep tight, my love. _

A 13-year-old girl in a blue and white parka sat on a hill of snow, watching the sun go down. She probably should have already been asleep; after all, spring had come to the South Pole, such as it was, and the days were getting very long. However, she had no parents to track her down and order her to bed. Her mother was dead, and her father had left a year ago to fight in the great war.

Actually, nothing about the war was great, as far as she could tell, but it was a word people used for things that were big. Or maybe it was the fact that it had been going on for almost 100 years that earned it the title.

All of the men of the village had gone with her father, so the girl had been left to grow into a woman to no apparent purpose. Her first monthly cycle had come and gone nearly un-remarked upon. There were no warriors to have crushes on, no boys her own age to steal kisses with behind an igloo. There was only her brother, a year older, trying to turn a group of children no more than five into warriors. She sighed and wrapped her arms around her knees.

_Our star is shining its brightest light,  
For good night, my love, for good night._

This had become the girl's special time of day. The chores were done, and she could steal away to her favorite spot and think while the twilight encroached. She especially watched for the first star of evening to appear. It comforted her to think that her father was under the same sky somewhere, and might be thinking of her while watching the very same star. She was saddened to think that soon, she would not be able to see the stars at all, as the sun would never go down completely in the days surrounding the solstice.

The girl always wished her father good night on that first star before leaving to seek her night's rest at last. She wondered what kinds of places he was seeing, people he was meeting. Would she ever leave this cold, little home and see the world? Would it ever be safe enough?

Idly, the girl played with the snow at her feet, drawing it into different shapes using the small amount of waterbending she had managed to teach herself.

_Sweet dreams be yours, dear,  
If dreams there be.  
Sweet dreams to carry you  
Close to me._

Bending always made the girl think about the Avatar, master of all elements. Her grandmother was a veritable storehouse of the old tales. Rumor had it that the Avatar was the only one who had a chance of ending the war and bringing balance back to the world. The problem was that no one knew who or where he was. He was supposed to have been born into the Air Nomads more than 100 years ago. That should have given him plenty of time to master the elements, so where was he?

There were some who believed that the Avatar cycle had been broken somehow, and he had not been reborn. Others thought he had been killed along with all the other Air Nomads. The girl still believed, though. He was out there somewhere, and something inexplicable was keeping him from doing his job.

_I wish they may,  
And I wish they might.  
Now, good night, my someone, good night._

There was the first star, and the girl made her customary good night. It was time for her to go home, but she wasn't quite ready. Watching as additional stars appeared, she made one more wish. She had long wondered if there was some boy out there under the stars, someone meant just for her. Would it be one of the warriors coming back from her own tribe? Or perhaps a visitor from the Earth Kingdom, stopping by to trade goods? Or maybe they'd make contact once again with their sister tribe at the North Pole. Then, she might have another waterbender to practice with.

Even the most mundane of these suppositions seemed fantastic to the teenager, stuck on this lump of ice at the bottom of the world, but that didn't stop her from hoping. Her grandmother told of how she fell in love with her husband, though she always remained oddly silent on the subject of her childhood, and she went on at length about the girl's parents. Gran-Gran also knew many stories of the legends of the past, which the girl had drunk in as though she would die of thirst without them. She reached up to touch the blue pendant of her necklace, her only keepsake of her mother's, wondering if she might have a great love waiting for her somewhere.

_True love can be whispered from heart to heart  
When lovers are parted, they say,  
But I must depend on a wish and a star,  
As long as my heart doesn't know who you are._

Whenever she asked Gran-Gran about these things, her grandmother would get a mysterious smile on her face.

"Sometimes, you have to go out and look for your destiny, child," she would say. "And sometimes, it finds you. Be patient; only time will tell which it will be for you."

Gran-Gran also held that the stars could guide you to the people you loved, even if you hadn't met them yet. This made no sense at all to the girl, but Gran-Gran declined to explain any further. So the girl silently asked the stars tonight if they would bring the one she was meant to love.

_Sweet dreams be yours, dear,  
If dreams there be.  
Sweet dreams to carry you  
Close to me._

"Katara!" Sokka's voice interrupted the girl's reverie. "What are you still doing out here? Gran-Gran's worried sick."

"I'm sorry," Katara answered him as she stood up, truly apologetic. "I was just watching the stars come out."

"Well, it's time to come home now. Let's go," he said peremptorily. He'd gotten so bossy since the warriors left. She followed him obediently enough, but she glanced once more over her shoulder to look out across the water, that mysterious element that could bring both dangers and possibilities.

_If you can't bring him to me, at least show me where he is,_ she added a final request as she made her way back home.

Far below the ocean's surface, trapped beneath an iceberg, a pair of eyes glowed in the darkness.

_I wish they may, and I wish they might.  
Now good night, my someone, good night.  
Good night, good night._

--

Author's Note: This is the first installment of this collection, and I'm soliciting reader input for the rest. If you know this show and have ideas for oneshots that might work with the lyrics, please make suggestions. I might even be able to use the same song twice, if the stories are different enough. I'm particularly interested to know if anyone can tell me what I should do for the "Sadder But Wiser Girl" song. It's too good to pass up, but I'm not sure which guy from the show might think that way.


	2. Chapter 2: If You Don't Mind

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar or the musical The Music Man by Meredith Willson.

Author's Note: Well, 96 hits, close enough. This one is a little odd because the song is a combination of spoken and sung words, but I thought it would be fun to have a supposed conversation between Suki and her mother on the subject of Sokka. This discussion takes place right after Suki has first met him, during Warriors of Kyoshi.

**If You Don't Mind My Saying So**

"Is it true what I heard?" Suki's mother asked eagerly when she came home that evening. "The Avatar has come to Kyoshi?"

"Yeah, it's true," Suki answered simply. She just wanted to sit down and get a good meal. It had been a rather trying day.

"So?" her mother pressed. "What's he like?"

"He's all right, I guess. He came here to ride the elephant-koi. Can you believe that?"

"That seems awfully…energetic for a man of his age."

"Actually, it seems he was preserved in ice for a hundred years. He's really pretty young."

"Oh?" her mom was perking up with interest now. "Well, maybe all your waiting around will pay off." Suki was all of seventeen, and she couldn't help but sigh and roll her eyes at her mother trying to match her up with the Avatar.

"The little girls seem to like him," Suki acknowledged with a smile.

"Little girls?"

"Mom, he's twelve."

"Oh," her mother's face fell. "Well, that _is_ a pity. Still, he won't be twelve forever." Suki ignored this and began pulling off her outer warrior gear.

"The waterbender he travels with seems nice enough," she filled her mother in on some additional details. "Her brother is a piece of work, though."

_Mother: If you don't mind my saying so, it wouldn't have hurt you to have found out what the gentleman wanted.  
Daughter: I know what the gentleman wanted, Mama.  
Mother: Really? What, dear?,  
Daughter: You find it in Balzac  
Mother: Excuse me for livin', but I never read it.  
Daughter: Neither has anyone else in this town. _

"Brother?" her mom brightened again. "How old is he?"

"I don't know. Sixteen, maybe?" the warrior replied carefully.

"Oh, how delightful! You must invite him over for tea."

"Mother, would you please stop with the matchmaking already? I just met the guy!"

"I'm just saying it wouldn't hurt you to get to know him a little, that's all."

"I already know everything I need to. He's arrogant, chauvinistic, and insufferable."

"So he made an impression on you, then?"

Suki gaped at her mother in disbelief before letting out a wordless sound of frustration.

_Mother: There you go again, with the same old comment  
about the low mentality of River City people,  
and taking it all too much to heart.  
Daughter: Now, Mama, as long the Madison Public Library was entrusted to me,  
for the purpose of improving River City's cultural level,  
I can't help my concern that the ladies of River City  
keep ignoring all my counsel and advice._

Suki managed to get her mom to leave her alone until after dinner, when the subject was broached again.

"Is it so wrong for a mother to want her daughter to act like other girls?" her mom asked pointedly. "You spend all your time training with those warriors. When do you ever have fun?"

"I enjoy it, Mom," Suki answered with measured patience. "It _is_ fun for me. And I'm really good at it. Is it wrong for me to want to you to be happy for me?"

"I see two can play at the guilt game."

"I learned from the best," Suki shot back. "I spend my days doing what I want to do, I have good friends, I'm respected in the village – what am I missing?"

"If you have to ask, dear, believe me, you're missing it," her mother replied archly. Suki stared at her a moment before deciding to ignore her mother's suggestive tone.

"I only wish more women would take advantage of the training we offer instead of just a handful of the single girls," Suki redirected the subject. "Married women could benefit, too."

"Why would married women want to learn fighting?"

"We have to be realistic! Kyoshi can't hope to stay neutral forever. If we get attacked, we'll need everyone we can get."

_Mother: But, darling, when a woman has a husband, and you've got none,  
why should she take advice from you?  
Even if you can quote Balzac and Shakespeare,  
and all them other high-falutin' Greeks?  
Daughter: Mama! If you don't mind my saying so,  
you have a bad habit of changing every subject--_

"You have to be realistic, too!" her mom retorted. "Why would a married woman take advice from an unmarried one?"

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"Everything! If a woman has something you don't, why would she listen to you? Women expect their husbands to protect them; they don't see the need to defend themselves."

"I can't believe I'm hearing this!" Suki shouted. "I don't think Avatar Kyoshi would be saying things like that!"

"Probably not, but she's not here, and I am."

"So, what? I'm supposed to get married just so I can get people to listen to reason?"

"There are other benefits, you know."

"It's psychotic the way you keep bringing the conversation around to what you wanted it to be in the first place!" Suki was aware that she was making less sense as the argument went on, and she silently cursed herself for that. Her mother always seemed to have this effect on her. Maybe it was time she thought about moving out.

_Mother: No, I haven't changed the subject.,  
I was talking about that stranger.  
Daughter: What stranger?  
Mother: With the suitcase. Who may be your very last chance._

"I'm just talking about that stranger with the Avatar," Suki's mom insisted. "You've scared away all the men of this village, and we don't get visitors very often. He might be your last chance!"

"I wish you would stop talking about me as though I were an old maid!" Suki objected. "I'm barely old enough to marry."

"Old enough is old enough. I'd like to see some grandchildren before I die."

"You're 35. I doubt there's much danger of your dying anytime soon."

"Fine. Don't listen to me."

"Do you intend to just throw me at every stray man who comes along?"

"This isn't just any stray man. If he's a companion of the Avatar, there must be more to him than meets the eye. Maybe you shouldn't judge too quickly. What would Avatar Kyoshi say about that?"

Suki grimaced. Apparently, two could play at the Kyoshi game, too.

"Okay," she gave in a little. "If he comes to me, I'll give him another chance, but I'm not going out of my way."

"I'll accept that," said her mother. She came over and put her hands on Suki's shoulders. "Listen to me, Suki. This might be the most important thing I will ever tell you. No man is perfect. If you're looking for that, you'll always be disappointed. Do you understand me?"

"Yes, Mom." Maybe she had a point. Maybe Suki's standards were a little high. This new guy _was_ marginally cute, and a part of her wondered what he'd look like without so many layers on. If he'd only keep his mouth shut for a few minutes, he might have some possibilities. She resolved to keep an open mind.

_Daughter: Do you think that I'd allow a common masher--?  
Now, really, Mama, I have my standards where men are concerned,  
and I have no intention--  
Mother: I know all about your standards,  
and if you don't mind my saying so,  
there's not a man alive who could hope to measure up  
to that blend of Paul Bunyan, St. Pat, and Noah Webster you've concocted for yourself  
out of your Irish imagination, your Iowa stubbornness, and your library full of books._

A few days later, as Suki watched the large bison fly out of sight, trailing the Fire Navy ship, she was glad she'd given Sokka another chance. There was more to him than had first appeared, and Suki wondered if she would ever see him again and be able to explore that further.

Not that she was going to admit any of this to her mother, of course.

--

Member of the Boomeraang Squad: charleegirl, Jesus.Lives, Liselle129, Avatarwolf, Strix Moonwing, MormonMaiden, and honorary member SnakeEyes16.

Author's Note: The "what am I missing" exchange was taken from the movie Pillow Talk starring Doris Day and Rock Hudson. This ended up sounding very similar to conversations I've had with my mother, but it was unintentional.

Review responses:

Thank you to frozenheat, Aangs fangirl1214, Snows Of Yester-Year (great name), and libowiekitty for reviewing Chapter 1.

MormonMaiden: I figured I dealt a little with how Sokka must have felt as the only man in the village, so now I'd look at Katara's view with her brother as the only man in the village. I had thought "Sadder but Wiser" might apply to Iroh, so that's the direction I'm leaning right now.

SnakeEyes16: I do hope you continue to enjoy this set and that school doesn't bog you down too much.

Kumori Doragon: Yeah, I do find it a little scary that I could probably even make a Zutara likeable. Fortunately, I just don't see it happening. I think I'd have to take myself out to the woodshed if I ever wrote a serious Zutara.


	3. Chapter 3: Lida Rose

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar or the musical The Music Man by Meredith Willson.

Author's Note: Well, you know I had to put a Soko in here somewhere! I actually have another idea for this song, which I might use later.

**Lida Rose**

_Lida Rose, I'm home again, Rose,  
To put the sun back in the sky.  
Lida Rose, I'm home again, Rose,  
About a thousand kisses shy. _

Song opened the door of her house to the sound of insistent knocking. She found someone on the other side that she had never expected to see again and was so shocked that she merely stood there, staring stupidly. The young man looked quite different than when she had first met him, clad in expensive, well-tailored clothing and his hair grown out and pulled into a topknot on top of his head. His scarred face looked down, and his nervous expression was quite at odds with the pomp of the attendants arranged in the yard behind him. Somehow, his discomfiture gave her the courage to speak.

"What are you doing here?" she demanded, while her mother called from another room, wondering who was visiting.

"I just wanted to say…I'm sorry I took your ostrich-horse. I would have brought him back, but we had to sell him when we crossed the desert. It's a long story."

How many times had Song imagined this very thing happening, deciding what she would say? Yet here she was, and it was as though she were struck dumb. She cursed the butterflies in her stomach and swallowed the lump in her throat.

"Where is your uncle?" she asked, genuinely curious.

"Uncle…isn't well. He couldn't make it." There was real concern in his face and voice, reminding Song of the desperate boy who had come seeking medical attention for his hapless uncle.

"I'm sorry," she told him honestly. She had really liked the old man.

"Thank you."

_Ding, dong, ding, I can hear the chapel bells chime.  
Ding, dong, ding – at the least suggestion,  
I'll pop the question._

Song was still waiting to find out why Zuko had come. Surely he didn't need all this formality just to apologize to her and her mother. Speaking of which, the older woman had come up behind her daughter, doubtless wondering why Song hadn't answered her.

"Look, Mother," Song invited. "Prince Zuko has come to see us." At this proclamation, there was some murmuring among the Fire Nation soldiers, and Zuko coughed uncomfortably.

"Technically, it's Fire Lord Zuko now," he explained apologetically.

"Spirits above!" Song's mother exclaimed, bowing.

"Anyway, I've brought you another animal," Zuko seemed to be rushing the get the words out. He stepped to the side and gestured to a magnificent ostrich-horse, younger and stronger than the one they'd had. In addition, this one was draped in fabric that looked like silk and had tack adorned with gold and ivory. Song gasped in spite of herself.

"Why?" she choked out.

"I want to repay all my debts, now that I'm in a position where I can." Zuko gestured to his attendants, and a couple of them secured the new beast in the empty stall.

_Lida Rose, I'm home again, Rose,  
Without a sweetheart to my name.  
Lida Rose, now everyone knows  
That I am hoping you're the same._

"Thank you," said Song simply. "But surely you didn't need all of this just to bring us a new ostrich-horse." She gestured to encompass the crowd in their yard.

"I didn't really have much choice. I…" he trailed off, glanced back at his entourage, and started again. "Uh, may I come in?" Song didn't know what to say, so her mother answered for her.

"Of course, of course." She pulled Song out of the way and shut the door behind Zuko after he stepped inside. He bowed to the old woman.

"Madam, if you don't mind…"

"Naturally, I'll leave you two alone," Song's mother agreed, backing out of the room and sliding the door closed. Song took a seat on a floor cushion, waiting patiently for Zuko to explain his business. He paced across the floor a couple of times before stopping in front of her, hands clasped behind his back.

"The truth is, this is an official marriage envoy."

"A what?!?" Song thought her brain was going to completely stop working. Who was he going to marry?

"I know this must seem quite…sudden." Suddenly, all of Zuko's aplomb vanished, and he knelt before her earnestly. "But I've been thinking about you ever since we met, and I need to at least get engaged soon. It could be a long engagement, and you could even stay here if you like, or you could come home with me, and we could get to know each other better." Finally running out of words, he fell silent.

_So, here is my love song,  
Not fancy or fine,  
But Lida Rose, oh won't you be mine?_

Song just looked at him blankly for a moment. Her head was spinning. He wanted to marry _her?_ How did she feel about him? She'd thought about him a lot, too, but this was a big step, monumental when you considered the position she would have in the Fire Nation. When Song made no answer, Zuko bit his lip.

"I just had to ask you before anyone else. I had to know. I knew you'd probably say no, that you might hate me, but…what I'm trying to say is, would you ever consider marrying me?"

He looked so vulnerable and uncertain that Song's heart melted and she managed a smile. He had come all this way to humble himself before her; that had to be worth something.

"Yes, I would," Song answered him softly. "I do think it should be a long engagement, though. "Perhaps a year?"

"A year would be perfect." A happy, boyish look suffused Zuko's features, one that Song had never seen on him before but hoped to cause a lot more often in the future. He took her by the elbows and brought them both to their feet. "May I…kiss you?"

"I'd be insulted if you didn't."

With this encouragement, Zuko pulled Song into a kiss containing a passion she had only imagined before. When they broke apart, they prepared to tell the news to everyone else, though judging from the noises Song heard against the rice-paper walls, she was pretty sure that her mother already knew.

--

Member of the Boomeraang Squad: charleegirl, Jesus.Lives, Liselle129, Avatarwolf, Strix Moonwing, MormonMaiden, and honorary member SnakeEyes16.

Author's Note: Yes, Zuko's a little out of character, but he's so multi-faceted that it can be hard to tell. Anyway, I just loved the idea of him being all nervous in front of Song.

Review responses:

frozenheat: Sorry the site was giving you some trouble. It seemed like people on the island related many aspects of their lives to Avatar Kyoshi, so it seemed appropriate to throw some references in there.

MormonMaiden: Well, I meant more that she didn't want to admit that her mother was right, but I agree with you, too.

Kumori Doragon: I could just imagine how Suki's mother must have felt about how her daughter spent most of her time, and a oneshot was born.

Aang fangirl1214: It seemed pretty clear that Suki didn't have a boyfriend, and as a pretty, capable girl, there had to be a reason for that. And some of her thoughts about Sokka had to do with me being a bit of a Sokka fangirl myself.

Kimbalynn616: I hear you! I've put in quite a number of hours on set crews myself, though not for this show. Sokka's my favorite character, too, although Kataang is my favorite couple.

Snows Of Yester-Year: You really do have sadistic friends! I don't know if it's fortunate or unfortunate, but I don't really have any friends who are into Avatar, unless you count my husband. He would never make me write a Zutara, and about the only things he does request are slapstick comedy scenes.


	4. Chapter 4: Sadder But Wiser Girl

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar or the musical The Music Man by Meredith Willson.

Author's Note: I don't think this will be the best one of the collection, but it's kind of funny and merits a raise in the rating to T, though it's still fairly mild. I've seen Jun's beast spelled as Shirshu or Xirxiu. I don't know which is the official version, so I picked the one I haven't yet been criticized for.

**Sadder But Wiser Girl**

_No wide-eyed, eager, wholesome, innocent Sunday schoolteacher for me.  
That kinda girl spins webs no spider ever—_

_Listen boy, a girl who trades on all that purity  
Merely wants to trade my independence for her security. _

General Iroh, Dragon of the West, had been married once. He had, in fact, done all of the proper things expected of someone in his position: served in the military, married a girl from the right family, raised a son. It was funny, he thought, how life could change dramatically. He had lost his wife and son to death and retired from the Fire Nation army. In many ways, he felt like he had been trying to redefine his identity over the last few years.

In any case, Iroh didn't really object to marriage; it was a fine institution, generally speaking. However, he rather felt that he'd "been there, done that." Traveling around with his nephew, though burdened with its own responsibilities, nonetheless provided him with some…romantic freedom.

Iroh was aware that Zuko was completely appalled by Iroh's current taste in women. Of course, Iroh had difficulty discovering what Zuko's tastes were because he never showed the least interest. Iroh was very worried about this. He remembered what he'd been like at sixteen, and Zuko's single-mindedness in pursuing the Avatar was clearly not normal.

_The only affirmative she will file  
Refers to walking down the aisle.  
No golden, glorious, gleaming pristine goddess – no, sir!  
For no Diana do I play faun,  
I can tell you that right now._

Jun was a prime example of Iroh's new perspective, and of his disagreement with his nephew.

"We're going to see Jun again?" Iroh asked eagerly when Zuko indicated his intention to search her out. "Wonderful!"

"It's strictly business," Zuko snapped. "I don't understand what you see in her. She's so…so…"

"Intriguing? Capable?"

"I was going to say 'scary,'" finished Zuko dryly.

"To each his own," replied Iroh mildly.

_I snarl, I hiss; how can ignorance be compared to bliss?  
I spark, I fizz for the lady who knows what time it is.  
I cheer, I rave for the virtue I'm too late to save –  
The sadder but wiser girl for me._

The pair of firebenders found the bounty hunter in a gambling hall, doing quite well. Zuko immediately accosted her, demanding her services in return for the damage done to their ship.

Iroh, however, saw that threats would be to no avail on this woman. His regard for her did not diminish in the least while Jun and Zuko exchanged words. Iroh offered gold, knowing that was the only way to really get her attention. He laughed appreciatively when she countered his offer, requesting his weight in gold rather than her own. A wise decision, indeed, and it was clear that Jun was a woman who knew what she wanted and knew how to get it. Both shrewd and beautiful, she was the whole package.

_No bright-eyed, blushing, breathless, baby-doll baby, not for me.  
That kinda child ties knots no sailor ever knew.  
I prefer to take a chance on a more adult romance.  
No dewy young miss who keeps resisting,  
All the time she keeps insisting!_

At the same time, Iroh had no illusions. He knew he was at least twice Jun's age, overweight, and far removed from any claim to attractiveness he might once have had. Jun probably had no interest in him at all. Still, Iroh retained a certain charm that often succeeded where looks and youth might have before.

Riding on the back of the Shirshu, Iroh had ample opportunity to observe Jun from behind, despite the rather bumpy ride. Zuko caught him at this.

"You can't be serious," he muttered, so as not to be overheard.

"I once valued purity," Iroh told him by way of explanation. "That's a young man's prerogative. Now that I've been settled down and married, I prefer to look for something a little more…exciting and more mature."

"She's just helping me find the Avatar," Zuko murmured. "I have no other interest in her."

"_You_ might not," Iroh quipped. Zuko blinked at his uncle a couple of times.

"I'm not hearing this," the young man declared, turning his attention completely to the road before them.

_No wide-eyed, innocent, wholesome female, no sir!  
Why she's the fisherman, I'm the fish, you see – plop!  
I flinch, I shy when the lass with the delicate air goes by.  
I smile, I grin when the gal with a touch of sin walks in._

As it turned out, the Avatar found them rather than the other way around. Admittedly, Zuko helped this along by securing the Avatar's two Water Tribe friends. In a very clever move, these friends managed to spill several jars of perfume during the ensuing fight, effectively blinding Jun's Shirshu and making it lash out in panic with its paralyzing tongue.

Zuko fell to the tongue, and Jun was struck by it shortly thereafter. Iroh instictively rushed to her aid, providing a soft landing for her when they fell to the ground together. Iroh rested there contentedly. He might pay for it later, but he had approximately an hour to enjoy the feeling of her body on top of him, and he intended to do just that.

It was worth it.

_I hope, and I pray for a Hester to win just one more "A"  
The sadder but wiser girl's the girl for me!  
The sadder but wiser girl for me._

--

Member of the Boomeraang Squad: charleegirl, Jesus.Lives, Liselle129, Avatarwolf, Strix Moonwing, MormonMaiden, libowiekitty, and honorary member SnakeEyes16.

Author's Note: Literary notes, for those who might not be familiar: Diana was the virgin goddess of the moon in Greek mythology, and Hester refers to Hester Prynne, the main character of Nathanial Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, who had to wear a red "A" as punishment for committing adultery.

Review responses:

MormonMaiden: I think Song can handle a lot, and I really hope we get to see her again in the series.

SnakeEyes16: Yes! I need to see Song again!

Nuclear Kitty: I'd say Zuko has shown both vulnerability and variability. Seeing him all happy at the beginning of the finale was actually kind of creepy.

Kumori Doragon: It's okay that your review wasn't long – thanks for writing one!

Kimbalynn616: I just figured he didn't have much choice, given his new position. He sort of had to show up with all of the trappings of power. My own interpretation. Yeah, I love the barbershop songs.

Snows Of Yester-Year: Um, yeah. That's the way I saw it, if I'm reading your review correctly. I'm currently rehearsing for an upcoming production of The Mikado, where I play Pitti-Sing. Here's my favorite line (sung): "When a man's afraid, a beautiful maid is a cheering sight to see, and it's oh, I'm glad that moment sad was soothed by sight of me."

UNDER-CITY WALLS: I think I already answered your question in another story. I really loved the name Boomeraang Squad, too. I thought it was a great suggestion!


	5. Chapter 5: Til There Was You

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar or the musical The Music Man by Meredith Willson.

Author's Note: It was definitely time for a Kataang. This could really be from either perspective, but I already did Katara's point of view. The time is sort of non-specific, but I envisioned it probably happening between Bitter Work and The Library.

**Til There Was You**

_There were bells on the hill,  
But I never heard them ringing._

_No, I never heard them at all,  
Til there was you. _

Aang was sitting on a narrow rock plateau high above their campsite, one leg stretched out and the other pulled close to his body. His hands were folded on his bended knee, and he was resting his chin on top of them, watching the first light of dawn appear.

Aang reflected on how the addition of a single person in your life could completely change your outlook. From the first time he laid eyes on Katara, it seemed he was questioning everything. The first thing he thought was: could anything so beautiful possibly be real? This was quickly followed by other questions. Had the sky always been that blue? Was the air always this clean and fresh? Had riding on Appa's head ever been this much fun, even when he wasn't flying?

Aang's strange rediscovery of the world continued as they traveled through the Earth Kingdom. Even though he had already been to many of the places they visited, he was sure that the colors had never been so vivid or the birdsongs so enjoyable.

_There were birds in the sky,  
But I never saw them winging.  
No, I never saw them at all,  
Til there was you._

Aang thought that the best times he'd shared with his new friends were before he realized that he was working against a deadline. In spite of facing the Fire Nation and finding the horrible truth of what had happened at the Southern Air Temple, those few weeks while they were leisurely making their way northward had been downright idyllic compared with the panic that had followed. Back then, even Sokka could occasionally be persuaded to sit down and watch a sunset, and Aang and Katara could find the time to lie on their backs and follow the progress of a flock of birds.

There had been one additional moment during their trip to the North Pole that shone brightly in Aang's memory. Katara's experience with gliding at the Northern Air Temple had allowed her to share in the joy of flight. Aang realized then that he had come to take the ability to fly for granted. He'd been able to do it for so long that he just saw it as a way of getting from one place to another. Hearing Katara exclaim over her first solo flight, though, even if it was only riding on the natural air currents, reminded Aang of his feelings on learning to fly. He might not have thought about it consciously, but he hadn't ever thought he would be able to share that with anyone.

_And there was music,  
And there were wonderful roses,  
They tell me, in sweet fragrant meadows  
Of dawn and dew._

Even now, watching the sun come slowly up over the horizon, Aang was sure he heard ethereal music from somewhere. As many times as he had watched the sunrise since first being trained to wake before dawn, that had never happened until after he met Katara.

Aang turned to look at their camp. Katara was moving around now, and she came down to the stream to run through some morning waterbending exercises. Aang's breath hitched in his throat as he watched her move. She never failed to have this effect on him, and it was amazing he'd made progress in his lessons with her as quickly as he had. His desire to impress her, when balanced against his attraction, was probably the only thing that made this possible.

_There was love all around,  
But I never heard it singing.  
No, I never heard it at all,  
Til there was you._

It hadn't taken Aang very long to realize that he loved Katara or to believe that the feeling had begun with the first time he looked into her eyes. He didn't know whether his certainty came from something in his upbringing or from some sense of his past lives, who had experienced this before. He supposed it didn't really matter.

Katara caught sight of him and waved. He waved back and glided down to join her.

"What were you doing up there?" she asked curiously.

"Watching the sunrise," Aang shrugged. "And thinking."

"Thinking about what?" she pursued. Aang considered for only a moment before he answered.

"I was just thinking how I glad I am that you found me."

"Me, too." Katara smiled at him before looking away and actually blushing a little. It suddenly occurred to Aang that her statement, like his before it, said very little but could cover a great deal. For the first time, he began to entertain the possibility that Katara was finding the place where Aang lived – continuously walking the line between telling the truth and revealing too much.

_There was love all around,  
But I never heard it singing.  
No, I never heard it at all,  
Til there was you._

Just two beats later, though, Katara was admonishing Aang to eat something so they could get started on the day's lessons, leaving Aang to wonder if he'd just imagined everything.

However, when they went back to the stream to get started, Katara paused, tilting her head as though looking intently at something.

"Is it just me, or does the morning sun look prettier on the water than it used to?" she mused thoughtfully. Aang froze; the observation was so similar to what he had been thinking earlier. Besides, she almost sounded like she was talking to herself.

"Yeah. Yeah, it does," he replied carefully. Katara abruptly shook herself and moved on to the lesson, but Aang couldn't help the little lurch his heart gave, even if he had to set it aside for the moment. Maybe he could finally allow himself to hope, at least cautiously. Who knew? He might even find the right time to tell her. Eventually.

--

Member of the Boomeraang Squad: charleegirl, Jesus.Lives, Liselle129, Avatarwolf, Strix Moonwing, MormonMaiden, libowiekitty, and honorary member SnakeEyes16.

Author's Note: Wow, that's a really short song. I didn't realize how few lyrics it had until I went to write them down. I don't have any more ideas for Boys & Girls, so if you have anything, let me know. I'm also still taking suggestions for this collection.

Review responses:

frozenheat: Sorry I missed you last time! Totally my fault. Yeah, Iroh is definitely…unique.

MormonMaiden: Well, not so much dialogue this time. I'm glad you liked the last chapter, as I was partly using your suggestion.

SnakeEyes16: I share your anxiety about Iroh. You're completely right about him never seeming embarrassed about anything. I haven't decided whether that's just the way he is, or if he's simply lived through so much that nothing bothers him anymore.

Kumori Doragon: Ah, well, no one can bat 1.000. Did this Kataang sort of get you back in your comfort zone?

Kimbalynn616: You and MormonMaiden seem to agree there should be more Iroh fiction. He certainly is fun to write.

Snows Of Yester-Year: I guess the last chapter was funnier than I thought. Thanks!


	6. Chapter 6: Will I Ever Tell You

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar or the musical The Music Man by Meredith Willson.

Author's Note: Those of you who follow my writing will know that I've already written a Ron/Hermione story with this song. However, it works for multiple things. This one is a little more hopeful and less ironic than that one. This takes place during Serpent's Pass, the night following that evening when Sokka, Suki, Aang, and Katara all had moments that didn't work out very well.

**Will I Ever Tell You?**

_Dream of now, dream of then,  
Dream of a love song  
That might have been._

Sokka found himself on a pale cliff with no recollection of how he got there. The last thing he remembered was going to sleep in Serpent's Pass. He looked up to see the crescent moon, just the way it had looked earlier in the evening. He blinked in amazement. The moon seemed to be getting closer, but that didn't make any sense.

Eventually, he saw the glowing figure of a girl overlaying the moon's shape, and he knew who it was.

"Princess Yue?" he asked, getting to his feet.

"Yes, Sokka. I told you I would always be with you." Yue hovered over the cliff edge.

"Am I dead?" Sokka wondered. After the day he'd just had, anything might be possible.

"No," Yue assured him.

"Is this the spirit world?"

"You've been here before." It was not a question.

"Yeah, Hei-Bai brought me there for a day, but I don't remember anything about it."

_Do I love you? Oh yes, I love you,  
And I'll bravely tell you,  
But only when we dream again. _

"The answer to your question is both yes and no," Yue told him mysteriously. "When mortals sleep, it is sometimes possible for the spirit and human worlds to overlap in dreams. This is mostly done with the Avatar, but you have been close to him long enough that I can visit you."

"Yue, I'm so sorry. I couldn't protect you."

"That's why I'm here, Sokka. You must stop blaming yourself. I knew what I was doing." Yue reached out a hand to stroke his cheek. It felt like the flutter of an eyelash, reminding Sokka that she was not completely there.

"I love you," Sokka whispered. The words came out so easily here, the words that he couldn't say before because of the concerns of honor, among other things. Yue smiled sadly.

"I know," she said softly. He hadn't expected her to say that she loved him back, and she didn't.

_Sweet and low, sweet and low.  
How sweet that memory,  
How long ago._

"I miss you," Sokka added.

"I miss you, too, Sokka. I enjoyed the time we spent together." Yue's gaze shifted, and she seemed to look past him. "We are quite literally in different worlds now, though. It isn't right for you to stay attached to me."

"How am I supposed to forget?"

"You aren't. No one can ask that. But there is another who needs you now." At this, Yue pointed, and Sokka followed her gaze. He realized that he could see the ledge, far below, where he and the others had lain down to sleep. As he watched, they moved magically closer so that he could make out each individual, including his own body, which was a little weird.

"Katara? Aang?" Sokka guessed. He looked carefully at each of them. Aang's slumbering face was more relaxed than Sokka had seen it in weeks, but Katara looked troubled even in her sleep. Somehow, in this dream, he could see everything more clearly than he did when he was awake. "Are they going to be okay?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, Aang's been…different lately. Distant and stuff. I can tell it's really bothering Katara."

"I cannot see the future," Yue replied. "And though they do need you, I was speaking of someone else."

"Suki?" he realized. "Come on, she doesn't need me. She's independent."

"Everyone needs someone," Yue insisted. "Don't let me stand in your way. I never meant for you to turn your back on life. It goes on, and so do you." Sokka winced a little, remembering how he had been unable to kiss Suki that evening because he felt, in some undefined way, that he would be unfaithful to Yue. He turned back to Yue, but she was already receding into the distance, merging with the moon.

_Forever, oh yes, forever.  
Will I ever tell you?  
Ah, no._

Sokka woke up on his sleeping mat. He sat up quietly to look around him. He rested his eyes on Suki, sleeping across the way. He felt lighter somehow than he had in a long time. He would definitely give some thought to what Yue had said. He did like Suki, and maybe tomorrow, they could try to start over again. Sokka didn't think he'd ever be able to explain to Suki why he'd acted the way he did, and maybe that was the way it should be. He looked back up at the crescent moon, now beginning to sink toward the horizon.

"Thank you, Yue," he said under his breath, almost like a prayer, before drifting back to sleep again.

--

Member of the Boomeraang Squad: charleegirl, Jesus.Lives, Liselle129, Avatarwolf, Strix Moonwing, MormonMaiden, libowiekitty, and honorary member SnakeEyes16.

Author's Note: This came about as an answer to what changed Sokka's mind about Suki. Yeah, it could just have been the daylight, but it seemed a little more profound than that.

Review responses:

frozenheat: Could we shake her or something? No, actually, I think in the series she knows what's going on now. I'd really like to hear her say it, though.

TTAvatarfan: Thanks. This song is actually even shorter. More room for my creativity, though, right?

SnakeEyes16: Yes, I tend to believe in brevity myself. And this song is even shorter, so it's not really a problem for me. In fact, it's almost more difficult to write songfics based on extensive lyrics because so much of the story is already being told that there's less opportunity to insert your own ideas.

Kumori Doragon: No, you made sense, and I appreciate it. I didn't think you were harsh, but I merely contest that I was writing anything out of character or canon. Not that I'm completely innocent of that kind of thing, but I usually admit it at the time of posting.

Kimbalynn616: Thanks for the suggestion, but I already had this one in the works. I might do some songs twice, though, so I'll keep the Maiko idea on simmer for a while.

Snows Of Yester-Year: Well, that's good, though I'm sorry you have to deal with morons.


	7. Chapter 7: Being in Love

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar or the musical The Music Man by Meredith Willson.

Author's Note: Ty Lee strikes me as the kind of person who'd have a lot of crushes, so this story was born. And in case you weren't aware, this is from the movie version, but I like it better than the original "My White Knight."

**Being in Love**

_Being in love used to be my favorite dream, oh yes.  
I've been in love more than anybody else has, I'd guess._

_My first love heroically ran the streetcar;  
I tingled at every 'clang-clang.' _

Ty Lee was finding herself with a lot of time on her hands these days. Mai was exceedingly bored, but that was normal. Azula was always off managing the Dai Li or some such thing. Now that Ba Sing Se was under Fire Nation control, there wasn't much for an acrobat to do. She didn't even have the bear to play with anymore.

So Ty Lee found herself reviewing her life. Not being a terribly deep person, she thought about the crushes she'd had over the years. The first one she could recall was her parents' driver. She would ask him to take her out even when she had nowhere to go. She enjoyed observing his profile as they traveled.

_Next, I fell for the principal,  
But oh, that teacher who sang  
'In the Gloaming.'_

When Ty Lee got a little older, there was that dashing lieutenant from the army. He'd mysteriously been shipped off to the Earth Kingdom after somebody blabbed that she liked him. Not long after that, Ty Lee herself was sent off to the academy.

If her parents thought that the academy would keep Ty Lee out of this kind of trouble, though, they were dead wrong. She happened to find Mai's weapons instructor very attractive. Fortunately for her family, she also found him too intimidating to approach.

_Knee deep in love, what a lovely dream, and yet, somehow,  
Knee deep in love's only half of what I'm longing for now.  
I still love my being in love with someone,  
But tell me, why couldn't there be  
Somebody being in love with me?_

Finally, it had been her infatuation with a trapeze artist that convinced Ty Lee to run off and join the circus. Once there, her interest faded away, especially after catching him with the beast tamer…another man! That was certainly an eye-opener.

Still, Ty Lee enjoyed the circus life and decided to stay. At least, until Azula had come and drafted her for a new mission. Now, Ty Lee was a little older and wiser, and she couldn't help but wonder…had anyone ever had a crush on her?

_All I want is a plain man.  
All I want is a modest man.  
A quiet man, a gentle man,  
A straightforward and honest man  
To sit with me in a cottage somewhere  
In the state of Iowa._

Ty Lee regarded herself critically in a mirror. She was certainly pretty; there was no doubt about that. She was also flexible, cheerful, and of a noble family. Maybe she wasn't very bright, but men usually preferred that, didn't they? So what was wrong with her?

Ty Lee's thoughts turned to a certain cute young man she had recently met, the current object of her affection. Just thinking of the way his pale blue eyes contrasted with his exotically dark skin, she got butterflies in her stomach. Of course, they were on opposite sides of the war, but it didn't necessarily always have to be that way. Trying to look at things objectively, she knew that, as a friend of the Avatar, it wasn't likely he would change to her side. What if she switched sides instead?

_And I would like him to be  
More interested in me than he is in himself,  
And more interested in us than in me.  
And if occasionally he'd ponder  
What makes Shakespeare and Beethoven great,  
Him I could love 'til I die.  
Him I could love 'til I die._

Leave Azula? The thought was both frightening and exciting. Ty Lee was scared of Azula, to be sure, and with good reason. On the other hand, if she had the protection of the Avatar and his friends, there would be less to be concerned about. She could help them, too; she knew it. Unless Azula had succeeded in killing the Avatar. Ty Lee bit her lip nervously. That would definitely be a problem for her.

Ty Lee didn't really have anyone to talk to about these things. Azula had never demonstrated interest in boys beyond what use they could be to her, and Mai only ever had eyes for one boy. As far as Ty Lee knew, that interest persisted to this day. Ty Lee's desires these days were simple. She just wanted an ordinary man who would like her for who she was. Was that so much to ask?

_Being in love, what a lovely dream, and yet, somehow,  
Being in love's only half of what I'm longing for now.  
And so then, tonight I'll be in there dreaming  
And hoping that someday there'll be – just once!  
Somebody being in love with me._

Sighing, Ty Lee decided that she couldn't take the chance of trying to join the Avatar's companions right now. She would have to bide her time until she found out exactly what was going on.

Besides, this crush might fade just like all the others. Maybe as soon as tomorrow, someone would come along who seemed attracted to her, and she could shift her affections accordingly. She would just have to wait a little longer. Pasting a bright smile across her face, she left her room, wondering what today might bring her.

--

Member of the Boomeraang Squad: charleegirl, Jesus.Lives, Liselle129, Avatarwolf, Strix Moonwing, MormonMaiden, libowiekitty, Snows Of Yester-Year, and honorary member SnakeEyes16.

Author's Note: I do feel a little sorry for Ty Lee, and there's a lot of her past life we don't know about, so this was fun to write. It's really my first character study of her.

Review responses:

frozenheat: Yeah, the alerts being down is what I'm chalking up my lack of reviews on the last chapter to. Glad you liked it, though.

Kimbalynn616: I'm glad you liked my idea for the last song. The alerts were down for about five days, but I hope you got notified about this one.

TTAvatarfan: Yes, it was during Serpent's Pass, and yes, I mentioned that in the author's note.

Snows Of Yester-Year: Yes, you're in the club now! Just add the Boomeraang Squad line to anything new you post.


	8. Chapter 8: Iowa Stubborn

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar or the musical The Music Man by Meredith Willson.

Author's Note: I thought this song could apply to the town of Chin from the Avatar Day episode. You know, I had to see that episode several times before I realized that the unfried dough things they were eating at the end were actually meant to be representations of Aang. And I'm normally so good at picking out details!

**Iowa Stubborn**

_Oh, there's nothing halfway about the Iowa way to treat you,  
When we treat you, which we may not do at all.  
There's an Iowa kind of special chip-on-the-shoulder attitude  
We've never been without, that we recall._

"This is, by far, the worst town we've ever been to," Sokka declared as the new celebration of Avatar Day drew to a close.

Now, Aang was not normally one to think ill of anybody, but in this case, he was inclined to agree with his friend. What was one supposed to think about a place where the nicest people seemed to be those in jail?

Things had begun innocuously enough, with a local vendor asking if they were going to the Avatar Day festival. Aang was hiding his identity at the time, but, naturally, he and the others were curious and decided to check it out.

_We can be cold as our falling thermometer in December  
If you ask about our weather in July.  
And we're so by-God stubborn,  
We could stand touching noses  
For a week at a time and never see eye to eye.  
But what the heck? You're welcome!  
Join us at the picnic.  
You can eat your fill of all the food you bring yourself.  
You really ought to give Iowa a try.  
Provided you are contrary._

Everything still appeared to be fine as they went to the festival, Sokka enjoying the food and Aang and Katara watching interestedly at the appearance of three giant figures representing Kyoshi, Roku, and even Aang himself. Aang had had no idea that accurate descriptions or images of him had circulated so quickly. The wanted posters weren't usually in color and definitely didn't show him smiling. Was his grin really that wide?

Events took a decidedly unexpected turn when the festival-goers began setting fire to the wood Avatar statues. At first, the three companions could only gape in horror. As soon as a torch landed in the left eye of the wooden Aang, though, Katara acted quickly to put out the flames. Aang leapt up on his own imitation and revealed who he was.

Much to his dismay, the response to this was one of fear. Okay, he knew his powers could be scary sometimes, even for him, but surely he'd done nothing to merit this kind of panic, not to mention accusations that he was going to destroy them all.

_We can be cold as our falling thermometer in December  
If you ask about our weather in July.  
And we're so by-God stubborn,  
We could stand touching noses  
For a week at a time and never see eye to eye._

The long and short of it was that Aang went to jail pending trial for something Avatar Kyoshi was supposed to have done 370 years before. In some ways, he thought he shouldn't have been that surprised. After all, Aang had already learned that one of his past lives had tried to kill the spirit Koh. Maybe it wasn't so outrageous to think that another had murdered someone, even if he didn't want to believe it.

Sokka and Katara diligently collected evidence, only to find that it was ultimately going to be the mayor's word against Aang's, and the mayor would be the one to decide whether Aang was innocent or guilty.

The situation seemed hopeless. The system was clearly unfair, but Aang felt honor-bound to go through with it. Aang's botched version of what Sokka and Katara had told him didn't help, but he was definitely doomed after Avatar Kyoshi herself took his place and told what really happened. Even though (as Katara explained to Aang later) Chin's death had been an accident, Kyoshi had caused it in the process of creating Kyoshi Island.

The inadvertent nature of the crime didn't matter to these people, nor the fact that Chin ("the Great" or "the Conqueror" depending on who you asked) was actually trying to conquer the people of Kyoshi, which was the reason for her creating the island in the first place. In the end, it was only the timely interruption of a group of Fire Nation warriors that saved Aang from a horrible fate.

The irony of this was not lost on him.

_But we'll give you our shirt,  
And a back to go with it,  
If your crop should happen to die.  
So what the heck? You're welcome!  
Glad to have you with us.  
Even though we may not ever mention it again._

After Aang did his part, with the help of Sokka and Katara, in rescuing Chin from the invaders, they were honored, and the Avatar Day festival was substantially changed. Aang couldn't help but marvel at the town's fickleness, which brought him back to Sokka's comment.

On the other hand, there had been one or two positive things about the day. Katara applying make-up to his face was a slightly intimate moment Aang wouldn't soon forget. Despite his concerns about his fate, Aang had managed to enjoy the touch of her hands, the nearness of her body, and the smell of her skin. In addition, the other prisoners had given him what seemed like some pretty good advice. Remembering this, he turned to her.

"Um, Katara?"

"Yes?" Katara turned towards him, and the intense look of those blue eyes made his tongue feel like it was turning on itself and trying to go down his throat. He began to reconsider. Yes, he needed to tell her how he felt, but somehow, standing in this weird town while eating slimy, raw dough made to look like him just didn't seem like the right setting. Not to mention that her brother was far too close for comfort. Aang forced a weak smile onto his face.

"Happy Avatar Day," he told her lamely.

_You really ought to give Iowa,  
Hawkeye Iowa – Dubuque, Des Moines, Davenport, Marshalltown,  
Mason City, Keokuk, Ames, Clear Lake –   
Ought to give Iowa a try!_

--

Member of the Boomeraang Squad: charleegirl, Jesus.Lives, Liselle129, Avatarwolf, Strix Moonwing, MormonMaiden, libowiekitty, Snows of Yester-Year, and honorary member SnakeEyes16.

Author's Note: Okay, I concede this was basically just a retelling of the episode, showing how it sort of fit in with the lyrics, so I added the little Kataang twist at the end to make it somewhat original.

In this interval between seasons, I've been watching old episodes a lot, and I recently watched "Jet." I don't know if I had registered this before, but I noticed that Katara shows Sokka and Aang the hat she made for Jet. However, in the next scene, Aang is wearing it, and we don't see Katara ever give it to Jet. Could this be symbolic for Katara intending to give her heart to Jet but ending up giving it to Aang instead? Just a point to ponder.

Review responses:

frozenheat: Thanks. It's good we'll learn more about Ty Lee soon. We'll see how close I came to a few things.

TTAvatarfan: It's a bit of a suspicion I have that Ty Lee will be tempted to leave Azula because of Sokka, and Mai might leave because of Zuko. Since I don't really see either of those ships triumphing in the end, it seems to be a logical reason for the crushes to be introduced.

SnakeEyes16: Nope, I haven't been seeing any commercials yet for the new season, which leads me to believe it won't be this month, since Nickelodeon tends to pound their premiers into the ground by promoting them for weeks in advance.

Kumori Doragon: I'm glad I could make you think with the last one, especially since this one doesn't really do that. Sorry.

Kimbalynn616: Yes, that's exactly how I feel about Ty Lee. My crushes usually lasted a school year. As I said above, I don't see the show ultimately going Ty Lokka, but you can't ignore the one-way attraction, at least.

Snows Of Yester-Year: I actually kind of like Ty Lee. She's so clearly an unwilling participant in Azula's schemes. I'm looking forward to what she does in the third season.


	9. Chapter 9: 76 Trombones

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar or the musical The Music Man by Meredith Willson.

Author's Note: Wow, I finally got over 50 reviews for this! Thank you, everyone! This is just a short piece about Zuko's triumphant return to the Fire Nation.

**76 Trombones**

_Seventy six trombones led the big parade  
With a hundred and ten cornets close at hand  
They were followed by rows and rows of the finest virtuosos;  
The cream of every famous band. _

It appeared that every musician in the entire Fire Nation was a part of the parade officially welcoming Prince Zuko back home. He supposed that he should be honored, but it all felt hollow somehow. Where were all these people while he was in exile?

Perhaps that wasn't fair. After all, Zuko knew as well as anyone the iron fist with which his father had ruled his nation. If anyone had felt sympathy for Zuko, he or she probably would have felt considerable pressure to keep those feelings concealed. And Zuko had to admit that he had never been particularly good at making himself likeable, even to the people closest to him.

_Seventy six trombones caught the morning sun  
With a hundred and ten cornets right behind  
There were more than a thousand reeds springing up like weeds,  
There were horns of every shape and kind  
_

"Smile, Zuko," his uncle admonished from just behind his shoulder.

"I _am _smiling," Zuko insisted without moving his lips.

"You can't smile with your teeth clenched. It's a scientific fact."

Making an effort, Zuko relaxed his face, smiling and waving at the people lining the streets. In his mind, though, he was measuring the distance and time until they would finally reach the palace at the center of the city. This kind of public display was not something he was very comfortable with, though he realized he would probably have to get used to it.

_There were copper bottom tympani in horse platoons  
Thundering, thundering, all along the way  
Double bell euphoniums and big bassoons  
Each bassoon having his big fat say._

The Rough Rhinos were preceding the float on which Zuko and Iroh rode. Ty Lee had rejoined the circus, and she was flipping along down the parade route in the company of the rest of her troupe. They had come back from the Earth Kingdom, there not being much call for Fire Nation performers there at the moment. Maybe, once the peace had been restored for a while, hard feelings would soften and many types of exchange could resume.

"What is the matter, Nephew?" Iroh murmured. "Isn't this what you always wanted?"

"I always wanted to come home," Zuko admitted. "It's just that…something seems missing."

_There were fifty mounted cannon in the battery  
Thundering, thundering, louder than before  
Clarinets of every size and trumpeters who'd improvise  
A full octave higher than the score._

A rather noisy demonstration involving a combination of firebending and cannons prevented conversation for a few moments.

"Your mother and father?" Iroh suggested delicately in response to Zuko's last comment. Zuko bit his lip. Although he had the familiar sinking feeling when he thought of his parents, their absence alone didn't explain the emptiness he had inside.

"That's part of it," he decided. "But I get the feeling there's something else."

"I have a surprise for you when we get to the palace," said Iroh in a conspiratorial tone. "Just a few more minutes, now."

_Seventy six trombones hit the counter point  
While a hundred and ten cornets played the air  
To the rhythm of 'Harch Harch Harch!'  
All the kids began to march  
And they're marching still, right today._

When they finally reached the palace, amid cheering and waving, Iroh ushered Zuko upstairs into a receiving room. Once inside, a pretty girl with kind, brown eyes stood to greet them. Zuko's jaw dropped as he recognized her.

"Song?" he asked in disbelief.

"Your uncle sent for me," she said simply, lowering her eyes shyly. Zuko felt a smile growing across his face, a real one this time. He finally felt like celebrating! A loud trumpet fanfare sounded outside, but Zuko hardly noticed.

"Thank you, Uncle," he whispered, but the old man had already left them alone.

--

Member of the Boomeraang Squad: charleegirl, Jesus.Lives, Liselle129, Avatarwolf, Strix Moonwing, MormonMaiden, libowiekitty, Snows of Yester-Year, and honorary member SnakeEyes16.

Author's Note: I have no idea what the timing is on this, except some time after the war. I'm a little lukewarm on it, but the song doesn't give you much to work with. I suppose it could just as easily have been Mai waiting for him, but this seemed like it would be more of a shock.

Review responses:

Nuclear Kitty: Yeah, I really just took that episode as a filler one at first, but there is a little Kataang in it. I also noticed that the hat from Jet, in color and design, was sort of similar to the necklace Aang later made for Katara.

TTAvatarfan: Yes, Aang was cute in the hat, and it seemed to fit him perfectly, which indicated that it might have been too small for Jet.

Justcallmewolfy: It's true that Aang didn't really comment on Chin, but I wrote how I thought he might feel about it.

Aangs fangirl1214: Well, it's always a dilemma when you're writing fanfiction. I would have loved for him to make a confession, but that would have changed everything that happened afterward, and I was really trying for a "missing moment" that actually could have happened in the context of the show.

Kumori Doragon: Thanks. I'm starting to feel like Kataang permeates every aspect of my life.

Kimbalynn616: I'm glad the last one made you laugh, and I still have a few more songs to get through. The next one is already practically done.

Snows Of Yester-Year: Well, the next chapter will have some…fulfilled Kataang ahem. That's all I'm going to say about it. I do hope the creators/writers will be officially getting them together soon.

MormonMaiden: I actually kind of like Ty Lee. I've found her a sympathetic character from the time she was introduced.


	10. Chapter 10: Sincere

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar or the musical The Music Man by Meredith Willson.

Author's Note: I didn't get many reviews for the last one, but I know this site was a little screwy for a while. This is a sort of bittersweet oneshot. The song is actually one of seduction, if you pay attention to the lyrics, so I played with that a little.

**Sincere**

_How can there be any "sin" in sincere?  
Where is the "good" in goodbye?_

"You're leaving?"

It isn't really a question. Even as she says the words, Katara is watching Aang adjust the reins on Appa's horns, and there can be only one reason for him to do that.

"I have to," Aang answers, not pausing in his task. "There are still a lot of details of the peace to work out, and I need to be there."

"Couldn't you wait a couple of days? Maybe Sokka and I can come with you," Katara offers, knowing already what the answer will be. Aang is now fully trained and can handle anything that comes at him. It isn't worry that motivates her but the fact that she will miss him.

"You need to spend time with your family and tribe," Aang argues.

"You're family, too," Katara points out, wondering how many times she will have to repeat this.

"Yeah, but I've had you guys almost to myself for nearly a year. The rest of your tribe needs you now, and you've earned some time off."

"And you haven't?" she challenges.

_Your apprehensions confuse me, dear,  
Puzzle and mystify. _

"No rest for the Avatar," he remarks in a light tone. After saying this, however, Aang finally turns fully toward her, and the raw hunger in his eyes is so intense that Katara falls back a step and sucks in a sharp breath.

Now, she understands. Though his arguments are reasonable, it is her honor that most concerns him. She doesn't really blame him for this. She knows that she would not resist him for long, if his self-control ever lapsed.

_Just marry me and get it over with!_ a part of her wants to scream. However, she knows that he can't, not yet. They are both still quite young, and Aang does have important things to do around the world. Katara knows without him telling her that he wants to be reasonably sure that he can devote his attention to her before taking that step. In addition, she suspects that he wishes to give her a secure world as a wedding present. She wants to tell him that she doesn't need it, that all she wants is him, but she knows that isn't fair to anyone. In a way, this is like his own unique manhood ritual.

"At least let me give you a proper goodbye," she calls instead, feeling her heart already pounding with anticipation. Aang doesn't need to be invited twice, and he jumps down. Almost before his feet have landed completely on the snow, they are in each others' arms, their mouths and bodies pressing against each other in an expression of passion they rarely allow themselves. They are trying to drink in each other's essence, not knowing how long it will have to sustain them.

_Tell me, what can be "fair"  
In farewell, dear,  
While one single star shines above?_

"I love you," Aang whispers when they have transitioned from the kiss into a tight embrace. The combination of the words and his breath on her ear makes Katara shiver.

"I love you, too," she answers him. After this, they seem to have no more words, but then again, they don't really need them.

The entire tribe comes to see the Avatar off on his journey, including Master Pakku and the other visitors from the North Pole. Everyone keeps a respectful distance from Katara and Sokka, however, in deference to the special relationships they have forged with Aang. Katara knows that she doesn't fit in here anymore. Thinking back, maybe she never really did. There are many reasons she still believes that Aang being frozen in the iceberg for 100 years was meant to be, and her intense love for him is one of them. She feels her brother's hand on her shoulder, and she allows him to pull her into a hug while Appa takes off.

"He'll be back," Sokka assures her.

"I know," she says simply, continuing to gaze at the sky until Appa has completely disappeared from view.

_How can there be any "sin" in sincere?  
Aren't we sincerely in love?_

--

Member of the Boomeraang Squad: charleegirl, Jesus.Lives, Liselle129, Avatarwolf, Strix Moonwing, MormonMaiden, libowiekitty, and honorary member SnakeEyes16.

Author's Note: I hadn't intended to post this one so soon, but it kind of insisted on being written, so I figured I might as well let people read it. There will be an eventual sequel to it.

Review responses:

MormonMaiden: Well, I'm glad it made you think. I realize that the last chapter asked more questions than it answered.

Justcallmewolfy: I intentionally left a lot of things about the last one open-ended so that readers could draw their own conclusions, but I was at least indicating that Zuko never got the approval of his father that he had always been seeking.


	11. Chapter 11: Shipoopi

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar or the musical The Music Man by Meredith Willson.

Author's Note: Ugh, I'm sorry it's taken me so long to update. I'm getting to the more difficult songs. For the record, I'm not terribly fond of this song, but I thought of it right after Zuko's date with Jin, so I just had to give it a try.

**Shipoopi**

_Well, a woman who'll kiss on the very first date  
Is usually a hussy,  
And a woman who'll kiss on the second time out  
Is anything but fussy. _

Jin seemed a perfectly nice girl, Zuko reflected. She clearly liked him a lot, and he had certainly taken a risk to make her happy on their date. For his first experience with this sort of thing, it hadn't been at all bad. However, something just didn't feel right. He'd had several reasons for fleeing from her, of course: the knowledge that spending time with her was essentially giving up on ever regaining his position, his overall discomfort with displays of affection, and the realization that nearly everything he'd said to her that evening was a lie.

Even understanding all this, though, Zuko had the feeling there was something else, a niggling little detail he couldn't quite put his finger on. After a few days, he finally decided to broach the subject to his uncle.

"Uncle?"

"Yes?"

"Is it…usual for a girl to kiss you the first time you go out together?"

Iroh looked at his nephew with his eyebrows raised, clearly a little surprised at the question. He seemed to be choosing his words carefully.

"Well, I'm not familiar with Earth Kingdom customs, and it's been a long time since my youth," he hedged.

"Uncle…" Zuko admonished. Iroh sighed.

_But a woman who waits 'til the third time around,  
Head in the clouds, feet on the ground!  
She's the girl he's glad he's found,  
She's his Shipoopi!  
_

"Well, the ideal would be for you to kiss each other without any planning," Iroh began.

"How does that happen?"

"I don't really know. You just move towards each other and sort of…do it. If it doesn't work that way, she generally expects you to kiss her, but in my experience, girls don't allow that until about the third date."

"So, what does it mean when she kisses you?"

"I would say that she really likes you."

"That's it? This third date thing, it's not a rule?"

"You will find that women have all kinds of rules that they don't feel the need to share with us," Iroh laughed.

_Shipoopi! Shipoopi! Shipoopi!  
The girl who's hard to get.  
Shipoopi! Shipoopi! Shipoopi!  
But you can win her yet._

"Well then, what would other women say about it?" Zuko persisted, trying to get a straight answer. He still had the feeling that something wasn't right, and he hoped Iroh could help him to figure it out. Iroh paused, considering his response. When he finally spoke, he didn't answer this directly.

"It has been my observation that a man only values something he has to earn," Iroh began obliquely. "This applies to their relationships with women as well. Most men, even if they wouldn't say it quite this way, prefer to put forth some effort to win the woman of their choice. They find it less meaningful if it's a little…too easy."

"Too easy," Zuko repeated quietly. That actually made some sense. He considered that the something missing with Jin seemed to be the chase. There was no challenge involved.

"Women usually know this," Iroh went on. "For their part, they strike a balance where they provide hope of success while remaining just a step out of reach."

"I think I understand," said Zuko slowly. "Thank you."

_Walk her once just to raise the curtain,  
Walk around twice and you make for certain,  
Once more in the flower garden,  
She will never get sore if you beg her pardon_

After joining Azula in Ba Sing Se, pursuing a relationship with a citizen of the city became an impossibility, even if Zuko had wanted to do so. However, Zuko found himself thrown in with Mai for the first time in several years. He even tried taking up with her for a little while.

Aside from the fact that they were both too quiet, Zuko found that he was still missing the challenge of pursuit. They could sit there for minutes, practically hours, without saying a word, yet he never had any doubt that she was his for the taking. It wasn't what he wanted. When it came to that, he wasn't even sure that supporting his sister was what he wanted, and the fact that Mai didn't seem to have any ethical struggle about this troubled him.

Zuko even spent some time thinking about the conversation he'd had with the waterbender in that cave under the city. He didn't really harbor any romantic inclinations for her – although he had to admit that she was pretty, there was too much history and animosity between them. Besides, after the way she had greeted the Avatar when he came to rescue her, Zuko had a feeling that his uncle would have put her under the category of "unattainable." Some amount of uncertainty was acceptable, but you had to believe you at least had a chance.

_Do re me fa sol la si do si la sol fa mi re do  
Squeeze her once when she isn't lookin',  
If you get a squeeze back, that's fancy cookin',  
Once more for a pepper-upper,  
She will never get sore on the way to supper._

Finally, Zuko had had enough. Enough of taking orders from his sister, enough of wondering if he'd done enough to win his father's approval, but mostly enough of betraying everyone who'd ever shown him kindness.

Zuko began by freeing his uncle and delivering him to the Avatar. After all, he reasoned, if the kid were still alive, he would need to learn firebending. Zuko exchanged a glance with the waterbender but little else, and he didn't stay long. He wished he could do something for Lee and his family, but it was too likely he'd be recognized, so he gave that village a wide berth.

As he crossed the Earth Kingdom, Zuko worked odd jobs to get by. His last stop was the modest house of Song and her mother. It took him a long time to get there, and he didn't have much of an idea what was happening in the war in the meantime. None of that seemed to matter anymore. He and Iroh had been forced to sell the ostrich-horse before heading to Ba Sing Se, but Zuko had been careful to reserve enough money to at least pay the women back.

Zuko and Song exchanged only a few words when he humbly made his offering. He bowed and retreated as soon as he pressed the coins into her hand. When he lifted his gaze, there was surprise in her eyes and curiosity, but also a hint of something else, something almost…inviting.

Zuko turned and walked away thoughtfully. He perceived that this girl was what he had been looking for: a challenge, but not impossible. He actually felt himself smiling a little.

Someday, he would return for his third visit, and then, he would find out if he was right.

_Shipoopi! Shipoopi! Shipoopi!  
The girl who's hard to get.  
Shipoopi! Shipoopi! Shipoopi!  
But you can win her yet._

--

Member of the Boomeraang Squad: charleegirl, Jesus.Lives, Liselle129, Avatarwolf, Strix Moonwing, MormonMaiden, libowiekitty, Snows of Yester-Year, La Vixen de Amor, chocolatecoveredbananacheese, and honorary member SnakeEyes16.

Author's Note: I'm still open to ideas about "Pick a Little, Talk a Little" about women gossiping about another woman they think is improper, brazen, doesn't fit in, etc.

Review responses:

frozenheat: Thank you; it's funny how some of my best works seem to be the sadder ones.

TTAvatarfan: I think there are about 19 songs, but I'm not going to do all of them. A few are just a little too specific to the show.

Amira Elizabeth: Aw, thanks.

Aangs fangirl1214: Yeah, that's the way I like it; romance with just a little sex. I think that was part of the description of The Princess Bride.:)

Kumori Doragon: Well, I think there's so much potential for passion between those two that I like to write it now and then, especially since the show's making us wait so long to see it realized.

Justcallmewolfy: Come on, I can't just do Kataang _all_ the time, no matter how much I love it!

Kimbalynn616: Oh, I think Katara and Aang will be together, but I also think it's likely that events will separate them for a while before that can happen.

Snows Of Yester-Year: I can relate. I just finished my final semester, and I expect there will be an explosion of new fics from me starting in May.

cacman2: Yes, I've read Breeze. I don't really like to do ideas other people have done unless I come up with a new and (to me, at least) irresistible twist. Anyway, I doubt any of the songs for this collection will fit, but I could do a standalone if the mood strikes.

chocolatecoveredbananacheese: Yes, it is a good show, and I'm glad you've found this collection.

Kataang's-Loyal-Devoted-Slave: I've thought about your idea, but I don't think it actually fits with the lyrics. However, you have given me a potential idea for a new chapter to add to the long-dormant Boys & Girls collection. I also got another suggestion that it be women at the South Pole gossiping.


	12. Chapter 12: Marian Librarian

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar or the musical The Music Man by Meredith Willson.

Author's Note: Well, Zuko had his turn, so here's a sort of chronology of Sokka's love life.

**Marian Librarian**

_Marian, Madam Librarian  
What can I do, my dear, to catch your ear?  
I love you madly, madly, madam librarian, Marian._

Sokka thought he knew all about women. Why shouldn't he? His village was full of them, and after all of the other men had gone, they looked to him as their sole warrior, a role he took very seriously indeed.

Yes, life at the South Pole had been very simple and well defined: the men fought and hunted, while the women took care of domestic tasks such as sewing and cooking. It worked, and Sokka wasn't one to fix something that wasn't broken.

Certainly, Katara sometimes seemed to take a dim view of Sokka's opinions, but he had always assumed that perhaps she felt her waterbending entitled her to a different, arguably more masculine, position in their society. Everyone else at home seemed to agree with him, so he had no reason to think that this wasn't the natural order of things.

At least, he didn't have any such reasons until visiting Kyoshi Island. The Kyoshi warriors took Sokka completely by surprise, in more ways than one. He couldn't believe that the community supported a group of women who couldn't bend but were nonetheless trained to fight. Perhaps the greatest surprise had come in the form of Suki's willingness to forgive him after he had behaved so, well, boorishly toward her and the other warriors.

_Heaven help us, if the library caught on fire  
And the volunteer hose brigade men  
Had to whisper the news to Marian  
Madam Librarian_

Suki even agreed to train him, but just as Sokka was really getting the hang of the Kyoshi fighting style, Zuko showed up and started setting fire to things, looking for Aang. Sokka joined the warriors of Kyoshi as they tried to defend the island, even managing to protect Suki from Zuko at one point.

It soon became clear, however, that the only true solution was to leave and let the Fire Nation follow them. Sokka and Suki stole a moment behind a building, where Sokka apologized and Suki kissed him, reminding him that she was both a warrior _and_ a girl. Shortly thereafter, Sokka rejoined Katara and Aang on Appa's back and left Kyoshi Island behind.

_What can I do, my dear, to make it clear?  
I need you badly, badly, madam librarian, Marian.  
If I stumbled and I busted my whatchamacallit,  
I could lie on your floor unnoticed  
Till my body had turned to carrion  
Madam Librarian._

Further challenges to Sokka's understanding of women came in the form of Princess Yue at the North Pole. She appeared to be a bundle of contradictions, and Sokka did everything he could think of to get her attention. He actually thought he had it, too, until she inexplicably ran away from him.

Sokka thought that Yue's conflict over him stemmed from the difference in their stations, but he eventually found out the truth that she was engaged. Although he would never say it aloud, Sokka had to admit, in the privacy of his own mind, that the three words Aang had told him ("Go get her") were far better than all of the combined girl advice he'd previously tried to give the kid. Maybe he didn't really know much about women after all. Maybe he didn't know _anything_. That thought was as disturbing as it was painful to entertain. Sokka hated to acknowledge ignorance on any subject.

_Now in the moonlight, a man could sing it  
In the moonlight...  
And a fella would know that his darling  
Had heard every word of his song  
With the moonlight helping along_

As he left the North Pole after the battle, Sokka knew that he would never see the moon the same way again. It was no longer just a celestial object, obeying logical and incontrovertible rules of nature. Instead, every night it was visible, he looked up and saw _her._ In a way, it was comforting to think that Yue was watching over him from up there, but on the other hand, the moon's presence was also a recurring reminder of his loss.

This was brought home when he finally saw Suki again, on their journey through Serpent's Pass. With Yue's crescent shining above them, he was unable to continue what had begun months before on Kyoshi Island. The moon was supposed to be so romantic, but he couldn't view it that way anymore.

In the bold light of day, and facing Suki's imminent departure, Sokka could finally kiss her. If they had a chance to spend more time together, maybe he could even begin to enjoy seeing her in the moonlight.

_But when I try in here to tell you, dear  
I love you madly, madly, madam librarian, Marian,  
It's a long lost cause, I can never win  
For the civilized world accepts as unforgivable sin  
Any talking out loud with any librarian  
Such as Marian, Madam librarian._

Now, fleeing Ba Sing Se, Sokka wasn't sure where he stood on anything. Katara had just managed to pull Aang back from death, and he didn't have any idea whether Suki was still alive. Azula and her friends had only used three uniforms, but it seemed too much to hope that Suki hadn't been one of the warriors fighting them.

To complicate matters, Ty Lee had simultaneously flirted and fought with Sokka, and there were all these mystifyingly mixed signals from Toph. Sokka looked to the moon, the one thing that remained constant in his life, even as she changed daily. He wished she could tell him what to do.

It was probably best for him to forget about girls for a while. They only brought pain, and he had more important things to think about. He climbed up toward Appa's head to help Katara find them a safe place to land, rest, and plan their next move.

Life went on.

--

Member of the Boomeraang Squad: charleegirl, Jesus.Lives, Liselle129, Avatarwolf, Strix Moonwing, MormonMaiden, libowiekitty, Snows of Yester-Year, La Vixen de Amor, chocolatecoveredbananacheese, Aangy, and honorary member SnakeEyes16.

Author's Note: Wow, that ended more sadly than I intended, but when it comes to his romances, Sokka does have a certain air of the tragic hero.

Review responses:

SnakeEyes16: That must have been kind of weird for you reading it then. I guess this sort of the beginning of my new burst of fics. I'll be starting a new songfic collection pretty soon, but I may want to finish this up soon. I'm not sure yet.

heartsyhawk: I'm glad it worked out. I wasn't really sure how well I could get it to fit. Doing this can be quite a challenge in some cases.

Justcallmewolfy: I'm not giving up on Soko until Song has been gone at least as long as Suki was – 27 episodes! That gives her until Episode 10 of the new season to show up again. While I'm looking forward to seeing Zuko interact with Mai, now that he's joined Azula, I think Song is the best match for him so far.

MormonMaiden: Long time, no see! It's always good to hear from you, even if you can't stick around long. I've been missing your responses to Destiny's Call.

Kimbalynn616: I think you've mentioned it, though not with regards to this story. See my response to Justcallmewolfy.


	13. Chapter 13: Pick a Little

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar or the musical The Music Man by Meredith Willson.

Author's Note: Thank you to everyone who gave me suggestions for this song, and special thanks to Justcallmewolfy for providing me the central idea I used. It doesn't fit the lyrics perfectly, but it seemed to work. They lyrics take up a lot of space, but they're pretty repetitive.

**Pick a Little**

_Pick a little, talk a little, pick a little, talk a little,  
Cheep, cheep, cheep, talk a lot, pick a little more.  
Pick a little, talk a little, pick a little, talk a little,  
Cheep, cheep, cheep, talk a lot, pick a little more.  
Pick a little, talk a little, pick a little, talk a little,  
Cheep, cheep, cheep, cheep, cheep, cheep, cheep, cheep.  
Professor, her kind of woman doesn't belong on any committee.  
Of course, I shouldn't tell you this, but she advocates dirty books. (Dirty books?)  
Chaucer. Rabelais. Balzac._

Women gossiped. It was just something they did, and the women of the South Pole were no different. In fact, it seemed to Katara that they did it even more since her father and the other men left, but that may just have been her increasing awareness as she got older.

Mostly, they talked about men. Their absent husbands, the single men, and even Sokka figured into their conversations. Naturally, they also talked about their children. All of these were topics in which Katara couldn't really participate, so she usually completed her chores efficiently and in silence.

It was another thing that differentiated her from the other women, besides her bending. When they thought she couldn't hear, they would sometimes talk about that, too. For example, they would comment on how odd it was that Katara would go off by herself when her chores were done to practice the things she could do with water, snow, and ice. If Sokka overheard this, he'd tell them to stop. It was perfectly all right for _him _to call her weird, but he wouldn't allow it from anyone else.

_And the worst thing, of course, I shouldn't tell you this --  
I'll tell! The man lived on my street; let me tell!  
Stop! I'll tell. That woman made brazen overtures  
To a man who never had a friend in this town until she came here.  
Oh yes, the woman made brazen overtures,  
With a gilt-edged guarantee.  
She had a golden glint in her eye  
And a silver voice with a counterfeit ring.  
Just melt her down and you'll reveal a lump of lead as cold as steel  
Here, where a woman's heart should be._

Of course, the most scandalous thing had undoubtedly come when Katara took off with the Avatar to travel around the world. Her brother was with her, but still, it was something none of the other women of her tribe would ever consider. Well, perhaps Kana, but hardly anyone remembered her history anymore. She rarely took part in gossip, either, but her age excused her from any idiosyncrasies. Some didn't think she should have allowed the kids to go, but it wasn't their decision.

None of the women could guess why Katara would want to leave behind her home and everything she had known. They were dumbfounded when Katara suggested going off with Aang even before finding out he was the Avatar. The men left because they felt they had to; by doing so, they hoped to take the fight to the enemy and keep it from returning to their home. Saving the world, though, wasn't woman's work. Such pursuits were…_inappropriate_, to say the least.

As time went on with little news of the exploits of Sokka and Katara, the stories and speculation became wilder. After all, what else did these ladies have for entertainment? One suggested that Katara might have the ambition of marrying the Avatar. After all, they were close in age, and the more practical of the women recognized that she had few prospects at home.

Katara didn't know what was being said about her during this time, and if she had, she wouldn't have cared. She was doing what she was meant to do, with the people she cared about the most, and that was enough.

When ships from the Northern Water Tribe appeared over the horizon, about six months after Katara and Sokka had left with the Avatar, there were new topics for conversation and new people to meet. Kana herself became a subject of rumors after the mysterious way she greeted an old man named Pakku. However, the women learned that Katara had managed to turn things upside-down on the other side of the world as well, becoming a waterbending master in defiance of northern traditions. This only confirmed the general opinion of her as rather an oddity. Kana only nodded and smiled upon hearing the news, saying that she always suspected her granddaughter would change the world.

_He left River City the library building,  
But he left all the books to her!  
Chaucer. Rabelaise. Balzac.  
Pick a little, talk a little, pick a little, talk a little,  
Cheep, cheep, cheep, talk a lot, pick a little more.  
Pick a little, talk a little, pick a little, talk a little,  
Cheep, cheep, cheep, talk a lot, pick a little more,  
Pick a little, talk a little, pick a little, talk a little,  
Cheep, cheep, cheep, cheep, cheep, cheep, cheep, cheep,  
Pick a little, talk a little, cheep!_

A couple of months later, Katara herself returned, along with her brother and Avatar Aang. All had visibly aged, but their bond seemed very strong. The warriors came home shortly thereafter, and a festival season followed.

Eventually, though, the Avatar decided he had to leave. His day of departure was a sad one for everyone, but none more than Sokka and Katara. They still keep themselves apart from the others now, exchanging glances and private moments that no one else understands.

The other women have little time for gossip anymore, what with their husbands home and a new crop of babies to care for, but they manage some nonetheless. Sokka went away for a while and returned with a wife, so talk begins to spring up about Katara's future. Of course, she is still only 15, so there's no hurry just yet.

Katara hears all this as she looks to the sky, but it doesn't bother her. She has traveled the world and seen more than the other women can even imagine. Besides, Aang will be back.

--

Member of the Boomeraang Squad: charleegirl, Jesus.Lives, Liselle129, Avatarwolf, Strix Moonwing, MormonMaiden, libowiekitty, Snows of Yester-Year, and honorary member SnakeEyes16.

Author's Note: It occurred to me that Sokka probably didn't come up with the idea of Katara being weird on his own; he must have heard it from someone, so I added that in. In the middle of writing this, it occurred to me that this could go along with Chapter 10, Sincere, so I geared it that way. There's still one more to come in that set, but I have another to do in between. Oh, and you will find out who Sokka married.

Review responses:

Kataang's-Loyal-Devoted-Slave: Somber, yet cute. Not a combination you see very often, but I'm glad I accomplished it.

SnakeEyes16: I don't really see Sokka as being uncomfortable with women, really. He flirted pretty confidently with Yue, spitting out lines like there was no tomorrow. However women are often attracted to shyness and insecurity, teenage girls in particular.

heartsyhawk: You and me both. I want to see Suki again!


	14. Chapter 14: Ya Got Trouble

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar or the musical The Music Man by Meredith Willson.

Author's Note: Due to the sort of stream-of-consciousness nature of this particular song, it was kind of hard to figure out where to break it, and there are an awful lot of words. This is Sokka's take on most of the action of The Fortuneteller.

**Ya Got Trouble**

_Well, ya got trouble, my friend.  
Right here, I say trouble right here in River City.  
Why, sure, I'm a billiard player  
Certainly mighty proud to say, I'm always mighty proud to say it.  
I consider the hours I spend with a cue in my hand are golden.  
Help you cultivate horse sense and a cool head and a keen eye--  
Didja ever take an' try an' give an iron clad leave  
to yourself from a three-rail billiard shot?  
But just as I say it takes judgment, brains and maturity  
to score in a balk-line game,  
I say that any boob can take and shove a ball in a pocket,  
And I call that sloth, the first big step on the road to the depths of degreda-  
I say, first- medicinal wine from a teaspoon,  
then beer from a bottle_

"I don't know, Sokka. These people seem pretty happy."

"Not for long."

The people of Aunt Wu's village irritated Sokka. How could you put your life completely in the hands of some fortuneteller? Science and logic were the only ways to really understand the world. If anyone had asked him, Sokka would not have been able to give a good reason why he felt the overwhelming need to upset the idyllic existence of these people. He just felt a keen sense of wrongness about the whole situation. Maybe part of it was that the idea of handing your life over to someone else simply rubbed him the wrong way.

In any case, he thought it the height of insanity to be living near an active volcano and not even bother to check it once a year, as they had previously done, to make sure that there were no signs of impending eruption. If it were up to Sokka, he would probably check it more often than that.

So, Sokka traversed the village, trying to find any flaw in Aunt Wu's predictions, while the people blithely ignored him. He quickly found that Aunt Wu was a clever woman. Her fortunes were phrased in such a way that there were multiple ways they could come true, and they could even be self-fulfilling. For example, there was the guy who always wore red shoes because Aunt Wu had told him he'd meet his true love wearing them. Naturally, the man would find his love wearing those shoes under those circumstances, unless he never found his true love at all, and even Sokka wasn't pessimistic enough to find that likely.

Katara hadn't revealed her fortune, although the way she kept going to Aunt Wu for advice on making every mundane decision was driving Sokka crazy. She'd had no trouble deciding what to have for breakfast before coming here – why did she suddenly need help now? He had no faith at all in what Aunt Wu had said about him. As for what she had told Aang, well that seemed pretty obvious. Even if the posters of him hadn't made it this far, if the fortuneteller knew anything about airbenders at all, she would have recognized his tattoos and realized that he must be the Avatar. After that, it was simple child's play to foresee him participating in a massive battle between good and evil.

Given how much Katara and Aang seemed to be taken in by Aunt Wu, Sokka considered that perhaps he should have been trying to get out of there as soon as possible. However, he was stubborn. Not quite as stubborn as Katara, maybe, but he didn't really want to leave without at least making the attempt to show the villagers the error of their ways. They would have to be on their way soon enough.

_And the next thing you know your son is playin'  
for money in a pinchback suit  
and listenin' to some big out-o'-town jasper  
Hear him tell about horserace gambling.  
Not a wholesome trottin' race, no,  
but a race where they set down right on the horse!  
Like to see some stuck up jockey boy sittin' on Dan Patch?  
Make your blood boil, well I should say!  
Now, folks, let me show you what I mean.  
You got one, two, three, four, five, six pockets in a table,  
Pockets that mark the difference between a gentleman and a bum  
With a capital 'B' and that rhymes with 'P' and that stands for 'pool'_

When Aang and Sokka saw with their own eyes that a volcanic eruption was imminent, Sokka's quest became more urgent. However, being a known skeptic, nobody would take him seriously. Fortunately, his sister knew him well enough to know that he would not lie about something this big. Either that, or she just trusted Aang. Whatever the reason, Sokka was prepared to accept her help.

As a true believer in Aunt Wu's abilities, Katara did her part to try and convince the people they were in danger. Their faith was absolute, however, and they refused to be shaken. Sokka wanted to tear his hair out in his frustration. Even when they pointed out the ash and steam rising out of the cone, everyone wanted to believe they were safe.

"That volcano is just about to send hot lava running through your town!" Sokka fairly screamed at one point. "Don't you people care?" A part of him was about ready to leave the villagers to their fate. He knew Aang would never go for it, and he probably couldn't have gone through with it, either, but it was still tempting.

_And all week long, your River City youth'll be fritterin' away,  
I say, your young men'll be fritterin',  
Fritterin' away their noontime, suppertime, choretime, too.  
Hit the ball in the pocket,  
Never mind gettin' dandelions pulled or the screen door patched  
or the beefsteak pounded.  
Never mind pumpin' any water 'til your parents are caught  
with a cistern empty on a Saturday night and that's trouble.  
Oh, ya got lots and lots o' trouble.  
I'm thinkin' of the kids in the knickerbockers, shirttails,  
young ones peekin' in the pool hall window after school,  
Ya got trouble, folks, right here in River City,  
with a capital 'T' and that rhymes with 'P' and that stands for 'pool'_

When he was calmer, Sokka and the others developed a plan. It was a sort of "if you can't beat them, join them" proposition. Katara and Aang would re-shape the clouds into a formation that would cause Aunt Wu to make the correct prediction. Sokka hated to play a part in this ongoing ignorance, but he was pragmatic enough to realize that there was no other way.

Once the people were convinced that there was a real crisis at their door, Sokka stepped in to stave off the panic with the solution he'd devised. He was able to mobilize the people of the village - men, women, and children - to carry it out. It seemed to be working, but unfortunately, there was too much lava and too little time. Aang had to step in and stop the overflow by himself. Sokka never did understand Katara's reaction when he commented on how powerful a bender Aang was. Surely that couldn't have been a complete surprise to her?

_Now I know all you folks are the right kind of parents.  
I'm gonna be perfectly frank.  
Would you like to know what kind of conversation goes on  
while they're loafin' around that hall?  
They'll be tryin' out Bevo, tryin' out Cubebs,  
tryin' out tailor-mades like cigarette fiends  
And braggin' all about how they're gonna cover up  
the tell-tale breath with Sen-Sen.  
Now one fine night they leave the pool hall  
headin' for the dance at the Armory  
Libertine men and scarlet women and ragtime,  
Shameless music that'll grab your son, your daughter  
into the arms of a jungle animal instinct- mass hysteria!  
Friends, the idle brain is the devil's playground, trouble!_

Sokka was very glad to turn his back on this place when they finally left. He'd hoped that the villagers would realize after this that it wasn't wise to place such absolute trust in superstitious nonsense. One particularly irritating guy, however, had the temerity to point out that Aunt Wu hadn't really been wrong, since she hadn't actually said the volcano wouldn't erupt, only that it wouldn't destroy the town. It was probably a good thing that Katara pulled Sokka away before he could _completely _lose his temper.

On a side note, Sokka noticed that Aang didn't seem to give Meng any special goodbye when they departed. Had he been wrong about his guess? Sokka frowned. Who else could it be? Aang didn't really know any other girls, except…

Sokka's frown deepened and his brow creased as he turned his head slowly to regard his sister. She was staring straight ahead, wearing a thoughtful expression. Sokka thought back to his teasing earlier and tried to recall Aang's reaction with a little more detail. It was difficult due to the distraction of the fish, but maybe he'd been more right then than he had realized. He resolved to keep a closer eye on those two from now on.

Even though he didn't believe in any of this stuff, Sokka found himself wondering if he should ask Katara about her fortune after all.

--

Member of the Boomeraang Squad: charleegirl, Jesus.Lives, Liselle129, Strix Moonwing, Avatarwolf, MormonMaiden, libowiekitty, Snows of Yester-Year, La Vixen de Amor, chocolatecoveredbananacheese, Aangy, and honorary member SnakeEyes16

Author's Note: Granted, the people of Aunt Wu's village were facing a much bigger crisis than the folk of River City, but in a way, I think that makes this match-up all the funnier because Harold Hill was trying to blow this idea of a pool table up into a major problem, while Sokka was having trouble convincing everyone that their lives were actually in danger. Some of you connoisseurs of Broadway may recognize that there are still more words, but I thought this was enough for me to deal with.

Review responses:

Softmints: Actually, this one is almost over, but if you liked these, you might also enjoy my slightly older Boys & Girls collection. There are a couple of songfics in it, but they're mostly just oneshots. I am planning a new songfic collection as well, so watch for that.

redskin122004: Some people (like Aang) are lucky enough to have wisdom young, but it's true that it usually comes with age.

Kataang's-Loyal-Devoted-Slave: I'm trying to post something new every two days or so. I have plenty of ideas, but my writing can't always keep up.

Justcallmewolfy: Well, the penguins and the tiger-seals, yes…maybe the occasional passing whale.:)

libowiekitty: Thanks! I'm kind of sorry your alphabet collection is coming to an end.

Snows Of Yester-Year: I'm glad it was interesting. For a few of these, I wonder if the concepts are a little too mundane to make a good story.


	15. Chapter 15: The Avatar Returns

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar or the musical The Music Man by Meredith Willson.

Author's Note: Well, this is the end, as I see it. There are three more songs, but they're really specific to the show and don't lend themselves well to broader interpretation. This goes along with Chapter 10 and Chapter 13, and these are also all consistent with Chapter 1.

**The Avatar Returns**

Katara is indoors, pulling together food for dinner, when the cry goes up outside: "The Avatar! The Avatar!" Her heart first leaps into her throat, and then returns to her ribcage and begins pounding frantically.

This isn't really unexpected. Aang has been sending her letters ever since he left, but it often takes several months for them to reach her. She got the last one over two months ago, so she assumed he must be on his way back and thought he would be there faster than another letter.

Katara rushes out to join the rest of the village in watching the bison spiral down out of the sky. Momo flies down in advance, wrapping himself around Sokka's head. Sokka tries for a moment to be angry but ends up laughing and just requesting that the lemur allow him to breathe. He puts an arm around his wife, Suki. He, Hakoda, and Katara took a trip to Kyoshi Island about six months ago, where Sokka proposed to Suki. They were married soon after because she wanted to have the wedding at her home. After a brief honeymoon, he persuaded her to come back with them to the South Pole, and once she saw how small their village was and how much they needed strong women to provide for their future, she agreed to stay. Suki is already pregnant and just beginning to show.

_Lida Rose, I'm home again, Rose,  
To put the sun back in the sky__.  
Lida Rose, I'm home again, Rose,  
About a thousand kisses shy._

Katara almost doesn't recognize Aang at first. She can see, as he stands on Appa's head and prepares to jump down, that he is no longer wearing his monk clothing, probably having finally outgrown them. Instead, he wears a blue outfit in the Kyoshi style, and she surmises that he stopped at Kyoshi Island shortly before making the journey here. It looks new, and she briefly entertains the notion that he had it made to impress her. He does look good in it, and the color sets off his arrow tattoos nicely.

Aang lands on the snow pack, and even from a distance, she can tell that he is taller and that his chest and shoulders are a little broader and heavier than before. He searches Katara out and finds her, smiling happily to see her again. She smiles back, finally seeing the same boyish grin and sparkling gray eyes she fell in love with. She thinks she is falling all over again.

They approach one another but stop with about three feet left to go. They aren't certain how to greet each other after all this time. Katara can no longer hear any sound, not even the constant wind off the ocean that blows her hair loops across her face. She thinks she can sense Aang asking himself the same question that nags at her: What if he/she doesn't love me anymore? Deciding to end his uncertainty, Katara runs to him, just remembering to make the height adjustment as she presses her mouth to his, taking her first taste of him in more than a year.

_Ding, dong, ding, I can hear the chapel bells chime.  
Ding, dong, ding – at the least suggestion,  
I'll pop the question._

When they pull apart, it is as though all the distance in time and space never happened, and they can pick up where they left off. Aang is taller and older, but he is still the same person. Suddenly, however, they become aware of the people watching them and murmuring at their reunion.

"I brought presents," Aang says, blushing and returning to Appa to retrieve some packages. He greets everyone and distributes various items, especially to the children. There are a few more than there were when he left, but he seems to have planned for this with extra baby gifts. The tribe members take the hint and withdraw a little, only Sokka and Suki hanging back a little to receive Aang's congratulations on both their marriage and the upcoming birth of their first child. Suki gives him a hug. Sokka claps Aang on the shoulder, and the two young men exchange a long, meaningful glance. Finally, Sokka nods curtly, then gives in and hugs him as well.

Once Sokka and Suki have given them a little space, Aang goes back to Appa's saddle and brings two objects down to Katara: a leather-bound book and a small box.

"I made a few stops on the way back," he confesses, opening the book first. "I had some unfinished business with a certain volcano." Katara gasps when Aang withdraws a black-and-white panda lily that he's pressed between the pages. It is dry, of course, but still pretty and reasonably well preserved.

"It's beautiful," she whispers, taking it from him almost reverently. "Thank you."

"I felt bad about missing your last birthday, so I wanted to do something special," he replies. "I actually meant to get you one of these a long time ago, so I'm sorry it's late, on both counts."

_Lida Rose, I'm home again, Rose,  
Without a sweetheart to my name.  
Lida Rose, now everyone knows  
That I am hoping you're the same._

"What do you mean?" Katara asks, perplexed. Aang doesn't seem to hear her as he fiddles nervously with the box in his hands. He is uncertain about something, but he finally raises his eyes to meet hers.

"For your next birthday, I was kind of hoping you would give me something," he says softly.

"What?"

"You." Aang drops to one knee in the snow, and Katara finds her mind going blank as she realizes what he is doing. "I know I don't deserve you, and it's probably not fair for me to just show up like this after a year and…but I love you, Katara. I've thought of you every hour of every day that I've been gone, and I know that I don't want to be without you anymore. I want – I _need _you beside me. Please, will you marry me?"

Aang is looking up at Katara hopefully, and she feels tears springing to her eyes. She has imagined this scene a thousand times and rehearsed half a dozen speeches, but when actually faced with the moment, it has all flown out of her head.

"Oh, Aang," she breathes. "Home for me is wherever you are. I love you, and I'd love to marry you!" There is scattered applause from the villagers, who have apparently been eavesdropping.

Aang stands and hugs and kisses Katara happily. Then, he backs up and opens the box. There is a ring inside, made of some kind of dark, shiny stone. It is exquisite in her eyes, and she understands that he has made it himself. Katara makes a mental note to compliment his earthbending technique later. She picks up the ring and turns it, admiring the way it catches the light.

"It's hematite," he answers her unspoken question. "I chose it because it's tough, but pretty, like you." Katara blushes at the compliment. Aang tries to put the ring on her finger, but his hands are shaking, so Katara grasps one of his hands to steady it and helps him put it on. It is slightly large, so Aang makes some final adjustments to make it fit perfectly. There is an inscription engraved onto the stone that reads "eternal love."

_So, here is my love song,  
Not fancy or fine,  
But Lida Rose, oh won't you be mine?_

As they embrace again, Katara tries to stop crying, but she can't. It's not because she's unhappy but because her heart is filled to overflowing, and all that excess emotion has to go somewhere. She holds tightly to Aang, never wanting to let him go again. Two voices float across the icy space behind her.

"Well, Sokka, it looks like I'm about to lose a daughter."

"She was never really ours, Dad." There is a slight pause after this.

"No, I suppose she wasn't."

There are still many things to work out, information to share, and arrangements to be made, but all that can wait. Katara will be a 16-year-old bride, and she couldn't be happier.

--

Member of the Boomeraang Squad: charleegirl, Jesus.Lives, Liselle129, Strix Moonwing, Avatarwolf, MormonMaiden, libowiekitty, Snows of Yester-Year, La Vixen de Amor, chocolatecoveredbananacheese, Aangy, and honorary member SnakeEyes16

Author's Note: It seemed appropriate to end this collection with a sweet Kataang story. I'm starting to wonder how many ways one can write a proposal. I believe this is my third Kataang one, and it's my favorite so far. I used western traditions here. I thought it would be more effective for those of us who, well, live in the West. Look for my Avatar Goes Broadway collection, which I should be starting to post in a few days, possibly shortly after the next Destiny's Call chapter. Thanks to all those who have followed this!

Review responses:

Justcallmewolfy: Yeah, I wish we'd seen some kind of epiphany from Sokka on-screen, although he did seem pretty clear about the Kataang situation in City of Walls and Secrets.

Snows Of Yester-Year: That's okay; it's a long song. I basically cut out the part where the chorus comes in.

Kimbalynn616: Well, I am updating soon – you haven't even reviewed Chapter 14 yet! Do you like Sokka's wife? I can't recall seeing you say anything against that ship.


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